The Ghosts of Christmas Eve
by scarlett2112
Summary: Elena travels back in time to the Christmas she broke up with her boyfriend to repair what went wrong. She soon discovers that it's not so easy.


"Little girl, you not driving up to see us this year is one thing, but why are you still at work on Christmas Eve?" Grayson's staring at his daughter's face through Skype on his computer screen.

"Daddy, it's just another day," she sighs, suddenly feeling very alone in her office.

"Come on, this is me you're talking to. Since when do you spend your holidays at the office?"

"Well the world doesn't stop just because it's this time of year," she chuckles at the absurdity of it, "I also have a lot of work to catch up on and besides, Las Vegas _is_ the city that never sleeps."

"It's called 'sin city' for a reason, Elena..." Grayson smirks at her.

Rolling her eyes, she shakes her head, "daddy!"

"Seriously though does that mean you won't be coming home till next year?" he tilts his head as he looks at her.

"I miss you too and I'll try to come home for a weekend in January."

"Just give us a head's up."

"Of course and I'll give you a call tomorrow okay?"

"Sounds good. Before I go, mom sent you a little care package, there's some cookies, fudge, homemade hot cocoa mix."

"Tell her thanks and I love you both," she forces a smile that she's not feeling on the inside.

"I love you, too, Elena. Merry Christmas, sweetie."

"Merry Christmas... Daddy." She watches the screen till it and her USB powered holiday lights surrounding the monitor go out. Tired, she leans back in her chair and closes her eyes for a couple of minutes before deciding she's done enough work today. After clearing off her desktop, she grabs her things, locks her door and leaves the office building. Meeting Bonnie on the way out the door, the two start to walk together down the sidewalk.

"Last chance to join us at the cabin for wine, and Enzo's famous barbecue brisket. We also have a jacuzzi. It's pretty amazing, sitting in the warm water with a glass of wine and being surrounded by snow."

Elena smiles, imagining a horizon where the mountains soar upward as if determined to kiss the heavens. It's easy to see why the ancient Greeks thought of the Gods on Mount Olympus, ruling from their home in the clouds. Each peak is snow-capped and reaches down from the cap in craggy white fingers, no doubt up close there are mighty cracks in the rock deeply packed with ice. Elena smiles to himself. One day she'll climb them, and look down on the tall pines like they're matchsticks.

"Elena?"

She shoots her friend a playful look, "Brisket and a hot tub, that's quite the combination."

"Well yeah," Bonnie quips.

"You're just a little crazy," Elena slides her thumb and forefinger against each other.

"So you're coming?"

"As tempting as it is, I think the two of you will have a much more romantic holiday without me."

"Enzo could always invite one of his friends..." Bonnie lets the words trail for effect.

"That's a negative," she rolls her eyes.

"What do you have to lose?"

"I'm in no mood for it, Bonnie, not yet anyway," she shakes her head.

"Elena, the thought of you staying here - in town - for Christmas is sad."

"Do I look sad?"

"No but the thought of you staying by yourself is depressing," they continue their walk towards Bonnie's bus stop.

"There are a millions of people in this city on any given day, that's a far cry from being alone."

"Oh, that's so much better - alone and surrounded by strangers."

"Bonnie, everybody in this city spends Christmas together - they just don't realize it..."

"Go peddle that to someone else. You're not celebrating Christmas, you're skipping it."

"No, I'm not. What I will be doing is treating myself to a late sleep and lounging in my pajamas all day, dreaming about some big burly guy and I'm going do an 'Expedition Unknown" marathon."

"That actually sounds better than brisket," Bonnie sighs dramatically.

"Aren't you supposed to be talking me out of this?"

"I lost focus at "burly guy."

Elena laughs, "And you know what the best part is?"

"What's that?"

"No one will be asking if I'm seeing someone."

"Are you?" Bonnie smiles playfully.

"You know I'm not."

"It's been a whole year, Elena."

"We're not having this conversation," Elena shoots her a stormy look.

"Fine," she raises her arms in mock surrender, "I'm done trying to change your mind."

"Finally, there's the quitter attitude I was counting on," Elena deadpans.

"You," Bonnie starts to laugh. The bus pulls up a few minutes later allowing her to board. "I'll call you in a couple days." Stepping up, she turns and waves to Elena just as the vehicle is pulling away from the curb.

* * *

Elena watches till her friend disappears then crosses the street to get a hot cup of coffee. From there she wanders a little farther down the sidewalk, taking in the holiday decor as she continues towards her apartment.

As soon as she finishes her mocha latte, she crumples the cup, aims it for the garbage can but misses. When she stoops over to pick it up, her heel breaks off, her ankle twists and she tumbles to the ground. "Could this day get any worse?"

Pulling a napkin out of her pocket, she wipes her hands and before she can walk away, she hears a familiar voice. Stopping in her tracks, she slowly turns to see him.

"Yeah, you'll love Telluride," he tells his fiery red headed companion.

"I can't wait," she sighs dreamily.

"Elena? Is that you?" he immediately turns his attention to her.

"Mason... um - Merry Christmas."

"It's been awhile."

"A year I think."

"Uh, Hayley, this is Elena. She and I used to, uh..."

"It doesn't take a genius to pick up on that," she moves closer to Mason as if to claim ownership.

"Nice to meet you," Elena extends her hand.

"Elena, how have you been?" Mason asks, gripping Hayley's hand firmly.

"Good, really good."

"So do you live here... like in the park?" Hayley asks with a contemptuous bite to her tone at the sight of Elena's now disheveled appearance.

"Here?" Elena resists the urge to wallop the doofus.

"It's weird that you're not already in Carson City for the obligatory Gilbert family Christmas," Mason interrupts, scrutinizing her closely.

"Not this year, I decided to stay home and get caught up on some work."

"Work through the holidays, huh?" he glances at Hayley before meeting Elena's dirt smudged face again.

Huffing, Hayley grabs his arm. "Can you go down memory lane another time? We're headed to Telluride and must be on our way."

"How nice," Elena lies through her teeth.

Hayley turns up her nose and then they turn to walk away but Elena can still hear their conversation.

"I don't know what happened to her," Mason remarks, shaking his head.

"She broke up with you, my darling, then clearly lost her mind. But who wouldn't?" Hayley gives him a teethy grin before they hop into a taxi and thankfully disappear in traffic.

* * *

Frustrated at seeing her old flame with another woman, Elena wanders around the streets for a little while, stopping occasionally to look at the holiday window treatments in the stores as she passes them.

When she comes upon an old 50's themed diner, she decides to step in and have a bite. "I assume anywhere is fine," she mentions to the waiter, seeing as how the place is nearly empty.

"Not without shoes you don't," he gestures at the shoe she's holding in her hand.

"Seriously?" she fights the urge to roll her eyes.

"Hey, I don't make the rules," he raises his hands in surrender.

"I bet you wouldn't be such a stickler for the rules if I bared myself..."

"Please don't." he cringes and shakes his head.

"I wasn't going to," she glares at him.

"No, no, I'm sure you weren't, you don't seem like the desperate type at all," he crosses his arms over his chest.

"Where did you get your manners? You must have earned an A+ in insulting your customers 101." Elena bends down to slip the broken shoe back on. "Can I sit down now?"

"If you must..."

"Jerk," Elena mouths, slides into a booth and picks up a menu.

"The hot roast beef sandwich here is the best," comes a voice over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry?" Elena turns to looks at her.

"The hot roast beef. Trust me and get the mashed potatoes instead of some flimsy side salad," she quickly slides into the other side of the booth. "You don't mind, do you? It is Christmas Eve after all."

"Who says I'm alone?"

"I'm talking about me," the blonde woman states while perusing the menu herself.

"Sure, I guess. Mashed potatoes?"

"Yes, who's going to know except us and the Grinch-like waiter," she nods towards the man as he approaches.

"Weren't you sitting over there?"

"Yes and now I'm over here," Rebekah sticks out her tongue at the rude man.

"No separate checks," he warns, a gruff look on his face.

"Is that another one of your stupid rules?" Elena shoots him a look.

"Would you like to see the book?" he retorts, arching an eyebrow at her.

"Two hot roast beef sandwiches with mashed potatoes."

"Fine," he writes it down.

"Actually, Elena interrupts, "I want a burger and fries..."

"You might as well order shoe leather," the other woman looks at Elena then at the waiter. "She'll have that medium well."

"What? No."

"Please, I'm begging you here," the woman raises her palms as if to pray.

Elena looks at the blonde for a few seconds then nods, "what she said."

"Thank you and don't mind him," she looks at the waiter as he goes into the kitchen. "His wife left him for a bartender, which wouldn't take much given his stellar personality. I'm Rebekah, by the way."

"Elena."

"Alright, Elena. So what has you eating all alone in this dive on Christmas Eve?"

"I was working. I didn't feel like traveling to see my family this year."

"No guy or girl to spend it with?"

"Do I look that desperate?"

"No, but I think you'd prefer to be with someone, one guy in particular... one who's probably still messing with your head? And I bet you still have a picture of him on your desk..."

"How do you know that?" Elena looks at her suspiciously.

"So I'm right?" Rebekah smiles, successfully deflecting Elena's question.

"Actually, I broke up with him a year ago at this time."

"Yes!" she fist pumps then adds sheepishly, "I'm sorry, I get a little over excited sometimes. Please continue."

"Well, we were living together. He was dropping hint after hint about marriage, or at least that's what I thought. So when the little black box turned out to be earrings - I may have overreacted," a melancholy look washes over Elena's face at the thought.

"Like stuck a fork in his hand overreacted?"

"No. I broke up with him on Christmas day."

"That's it?"

"I got caught up in the whole so-called magic and spirit of Christmas thing, I was a child. There is no magic, just real life."

"Excuse me," Rebekah protests, "There is too magic."

"Okay, you're one of those people?"

"One of those people? What's that supposed to mean?" she challenges Elena.

"One of those _"there's magic everywhere_, all you have to do is stop taking your psych meds."

"Magic isn't everywhere, It's only at Christmas and I resent that connotation."

"That's actually kind of even worse," Elena picks up her coffee cup.

"I'm just saying, if all this hand-wringing is about one "overreaction", she air quotes the word, "Why not just undo it?" Rebekah posits cryptically.

"And how would you suggest I undo his girlfriend?"

"Listen, if you could redo last Christmas, would you?"

"Like that's not impossible," she rolls her eyes. "But if I could take a mulligan, I'd jump at the chance."

"Enjoy," the rude waiter slides their plates in front of them.

When they finish and walk up to pay the bill, Elena slips the broken shoe off then turns to Rebekah. "Thanks for the company." She hands the waiter a twenty. "I had fun."

"Fun," Rebekah squeals, waving her fingers.

"I mean it. We should do this again sometime. I'll give you my number."

"Oh, I already have everything I need. I'm sure we'll run into each other again soon," Rebekah smiles.

Elena looks a little bewildered, "Well, how do I find you?"

"Don't you worry, I'll be around..."

"Here you go, miss," another waiter hands her the change. "Hey, who served you without shoes?"

"Seriously, what is with you guys and shoes?"

"You can't kick us out, we're already leaving," Rebekah sing-songs.

Merry Christmas, ma'am, to you and your imaginary friend," the cashier says.

"Why do _these _people always end up at this diner?" the guy states to the other one as Elena walks out of the diner.

* * *

It's dark by the time Elena gets home. She took her time, looking at the light displays in her neighborhood before finally turning down her own street. After showering, she slips on her warm, flannel holiday pajamas, pours herself a big glass of wine then slides under the covers to watch "It's a Wonderful Life..."

She takes her last swallow and drifts off to sleep just as George Bailey finds Zuzu's petals missing from his pants pocket...

* * *

The morning sun kisses her awake. Slivers of light peep through the drawn blinds, casting thin golden stripes across her angelic face. Elena is just starting to open her eyes when suddenly, she hears a familiar voice.

"It's time to get up, we have a lot to do today."

"Mom? What are you doing here?" Elena looks at the woman, shocked to find herself in her childhood bedroom.

"I live here... did you have a little too much to drink last night?"

"I'm in my room?" Elena looks around bewildered.

"Yes, you're here and without Mason but until you're engaged..." she wags her finger back and forth

"Wait a minute, did you say Mason's here?"

"Yeah," Miranda looks at her strangely. "He's downstairs fixing breakfast with your dad."

Elena stares at nothing while trying to comprehend what's going on. "Rebekah - it has to be her."

"Earth to Elena, who's Rebekah?"

"Um no one, I was thinking out loud," Elena jumps out of bed, nearly tripping over her own feet.

"What's the rush?" Miranda follows after her.

"I'm starving."

"Well that's no surprise since you didn't eat supper."

"I guess I wasn't hungry," Elena throws her bathrobe on before flying out of the room and into the kitchen.

"Good morning, sweetheart," her dad winks at her. "How did you sleep?"

"Like a rock."

"Yeah?" and when Elena nods, he adds, "it's so good to have you home."

"Morning, baby," Mason appears in the doorway and Elena runs into his arms, closing her eyes as she buries her cheek against his chest.

"And that's why they're sleeping in separate beds," Miranda raises an eyebrow.

"Mom?" Elena's mortified.

"Actually, it's no big deal. Elena and I have the rest of our lives to spend together," Mason winks at her.

She brushes off her mom's embarrassing comment. "So did you two actually cook something for breakfast?"

"Yep, bacon and eggs," he pulls the chair out for her.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Elena picks up a crisp piece of bacon and bites off half of it.

"We're gonna get Jeremy from the airport, then there's the Christmas toy wrap at the country club, and we can't forget supper."

"We have a lot to do," Elena looks at Mason.

"What's with you this year? You seem rather subdued about all of it. You've always loved coming home for Christmas?"

"Yeah, I did... I mean I do. This is gonna be the best Christmas ever."

"Whatever you say," her father looks at her curiously and they finish eating in relative silence. When everyone's done, Elena helps him unset the table and put the dishes in the sink.

"Shake a leg. Santa's sleigh pulls out in five with or without you," Grayson teases.

Elena laughs, "He's been saying the exact same thing since we were kids."

"Is there actually a sleigh, and if you don't shake a leg, will the thing leave without you?" Mason arches an eyebrow.

"Good point. Let's not find out," she runs upstairs to quickly dress, grabs her bag and hurries outside.

"Come on," Grayson's waving his arm for her to pick up the pace. "We don't want to be late."

"Dad, Jeremy can wait five minutes."

"E le na," he sings-songs, "With your schedules, your mom and I only get to spend five minutes with you every year the way it is... we have to make the most of it."

* * *

"Let's get in the car," Grayson urges, "we're running late."

"Don't speed or run any red lights," Miranda gives him a knowing look. Grayson sticks his tongue out at her then slides in behind the wheel.

Elena happens to hear some noise and looks across the street. Her mouth drops at the sight. He looks up at the same time and then they're both in the middle of the street hugging each other.

"Hi," he looks surprised. "Mom and dad said you weren't coming home this year," Damon steps back and looks at Elena with a huge smile on his face.

"Mason and I have been traveling the last few Christmases, so I talked him into it..."

"Yeah, if you haven't been to Vienna to see the professional holiday displays there, you should, they're amazing," Mason interrupts.

"I'll keep that in mind. So you're coming to the club, right?"

"Definitely, and Jeremy, too. We're actually on our way to the airport, his plane should be landing any minute now."

"Jeremy, God I haven't seen him... since I don't know when," Damon muses.

"That makes two of us," Elena agrees.

"What part of the world's he working these days? Hong Kong, Zurich, Sydney? I don't know how he keeps it all straight."

"Me neither," Elena laughs.

"Well, I better get back. You know dad, he loves to wait till Christmas Eve to put all the lights up. I'll see you later?"

"Yes, absolutely," she nods and watches him return to his father.

"So you really dated that guy?" Mason mentions with disdain dripping from his voice.

"What? No, we never went out. Why would you think that?"

"No? I mean, you live across the street from him. I figured maybe..."

"No. No, Damon's always been my best friend."

"If you say so," he puts his hand on Elena's lower back and urges her to the car where her father is already starting to back out of the driveway.

* * *

Sometime later the Gilbert family are on their way home. 'Deck the Halls' is playing on the radio.

"Don we now..." Grayson sings, "our gay apparel... Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la."

"I should have taken a cab," Jeremy mumbles, stuffed in the back seat against the window with Elena in the middle and Mason on the other side.

"Don't be silly, you know how much a cab costs."

"Dad, you think everything's a waste of money."

"No, that's not true," Miranda looks over her shoulder at her son. "Your father likes nice things, he just doesn't like to pay for them."

"And that, mom, is simply a diplomatic way of saying that he's cheap," Elena smiles at Jeremy.

"Yep, he squeezes pennys till they fart."

"I heard that," Grayson bellows, turning up the radio.

"Good, then we won't have to say it again."

"You know, Jer, if you'd taken a cab, you might've missed the toy wrapping," Miranda mentions, glancing back at her son.

"You could've just written a check," Mason contributes to the conversation.

"Where's the fun in that?" Grayson asks as he pulls into the driveway.

* * *

Later that afternoon, they're all at the country club seated at tables wrapping toys and necessities for the underprivileged children that live around the area.

"These gifts are supposed to be for needy kids, right?" Mason reaches for a piece of tape.

"Yes," Elena sticks a bow on the one she just finished.

"Okay, so if you're a needy kid, do you really need a doll? Why not something practical like clothes, toothbrush that kind of thing instead?"

Mason, each one gets a toy and something useful, like you said, shoes or clothes."

"Then why the toy? Why not two useful gifts instead?"

"You were a child once weren't you?" Elena stops what she's doing to look at him.

"I'm just saying it seems like a waste."

"Well, I doubt many of them have a lot of toys or know the thrill of the holiday magic. When your whole life is about worrying about whether they'll have something to eat, it's probably a welcome distraction to receive something frivolous," Elena tries to keep her temper in check.

"So you admit they're frivolous gifts?"

"If the Grinch ever needs a fill in, I know where to send him," Elena picks up another toy to wrap.

"I'm sorry. I know you love Christmas. It was never a big deal for me, the whole high toned and fancy to do always seems a bit ridiculous to me."

"I'm starting to see things a little more your way," her voice trails off, knowing inside that it's a lie.

"Hold on a second. Last night, you were wearing antlers and literally chasing me around the house with mistletoe. This morning, you give up on the holiday spirit altogether?" Mason looks at her like she's grown an extra head.

"I'm not giving up on it. I just realized that I probably put too much focus on _one_ day. It doesn't matter that it's Christmas, Mason, what matters is that some little girl is gonna get a nice doll or a little boy will get that Tonka trunk," she points to what her father is wrapping, "And that we get to spend time with the people that we love."

"Like me?" he winks at her.

"Of course," she leans over enough to plant a quick kiss on his lips.

"Hello everyone," Miranda appears, handing them each a glass full of eggnog.

"We're out of paper, I'm gonna go get some more," Elena smiles and walks off.

Taking a sip, Mason looks at Miranda, "Does she seem a bit off today?"

"She's always been a little weird. It's part of her charm," her voice trails when her eyes land on the presents. "Oh, these are all gonna have to be redone. If you'll excuse me," Miranda takes the packages and walks off.

Elena's eyes nearly pop out of her head when she recognizes the woman at the paper table. "Rebekah, what are you doing here?"

"I'm wrapping gifts, what else would I be doing here?"

"So I really get to redo Christmas Eve with Mason?"

"You said that was the part you wanted to do over, you got your wish," she smiles and hands a roll of paper to another woman.

"But how? And why me?" Elena sits beside her.

"It's kind of like *The Philadelphia Experiment."

Elena looks at her like she's grown a beard but quickly brushes it aside, "You're the one who brought me here!?"

"That's true, but from here on out, you're on your own. I'll only make an appearance if you need a little nudge now and then - which you will," Rebekah smiles knowingly.

"Well then give me your two cents on this, Mason just told me that he's never understood Christmas."

"You said you don't anymore either."

"That was a little white lie but that's not the point. The point is that he's never said that, not a year ago, not ever."

"And..."

"Well, isn't this supposed to be all like deja-vuish? Aren't people supposed to be saying the same things they said last year, and then I get a chance to respond differently and fix my mistakes?"

"What we need is a quick physics lesson," she pulls Elena aside.

"Physics? What does that have to do with anything?" Elena looks at Rebekah dumbfounded.

"It has to do with quantum mechanics and the uncertainty principle which states that the position and the velocity of an object cannot both be measured exactly, at the same time, even in theory."

"I have no idea what that means but you're saying I can't violate the laws of physics, other than time travel?" she stupefied by the impossibility of all this.

"See that wasn't hard," Rebekah chuckles.

"How am I supposed to know what's gonna happen next if everything is happening differently?"

"That's the way it works, you'll just have to ad lib," she elbows Elena playfully, adding, "Bill Murray sure had it easy in _'Groundhog Day'_?"

Elena looks away when she sees Damon playing with some children.

"I'm the king of the misfit toys and you can't catch me," he sings songs as he runs around in circles with the little ones chasing after him.

Amazement doesn't quite cover it. She feels like someone just took her spark of wonder and poured on kerosene. The smile she wears on the outside can't adequately reflect what's going on inside; it's like every neuron in her brain is trying to fire at once - he's always been so good with children.

"Elena?" Mason waves a hand in front of her face.

"Sorry, I got distracted," she drops an armful of paper on their table when they return to it.

"Look, Elena, I know that you're a big stickler for holiday tradition but I want to give you your _big _present early. Before you say anything, I just feel like it would be a lot more romantic that way."

"Big present?"

"I'm not answering any questions or giving you any hints."

"Whenever you want?" she eyes him curiously.

"Whenever I want? This - coming from the girl who last Christmas - do you remember I was eating the 12th day of Christmas chocolate on the ninth day and you nearly had a coronary."

"It wasn't that bad," Elena scoffs.

"I believe your exact words were, "You ruined Christmas."

"Yeah, okay, that rings a bell. You know what? But this is the new and improved, less uptight Elena."

"I hope she sticks around for awhile," he winks at her.

"That's the plan," she smiles, sits back down and begins to wrap more presents.

* * *

Later in the afternoon, everyone's in the kitchen dinking around. Miranda sticks a strawberry in her mouth and turns to Mason.

"Oh, I'm thinking apples and cheddar for the salad tomorrow."

"Why don't we throw in some sunflower seeds too, give it a little texture?" Mason suggests.

"Ooh, I love that," she smiles at him. Grayson appears and sits down at the table with his daughter.

"Hey little girl, how are things going at work?"

"Dad, I'm 26, and contrary to popular belief, I am an adult."

"You'll always be my little girl though. Daughters all over the world have to deal with the same thing."

"You're incorrigible but I love you anyway. Things are good. I got a promotion. I mean - I'm up for a promotion for project manager - which I'm gonna get."

"Of course you are. You're the best architect in the firm," Jeremy adds, stealing a strawberry from their mom.

"Spoken like a true brother." she smiles at him.

"So, Jeremy, how are things going in Hong Kong, Trinidad and Guatemala?" Grayson asks, popping a piece of the red fruit into his mouth.

He shrugs his shoulders, "Same as always, living out of a suitcase, eating at restaurants every night."

"Sounds fabulous," Mason muses.

"Well, after a few years, it really isn't," Jeremy retorts._ He hates this guy. _

"Wanna bet?" he winks at Elena then slips out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

* * *

Deciding they need a few groceries, they all depart for the general store and restaurant, Mason and Miranda are sitting at a table talking about fruit while Elena's standing in front of the jukebox looking at the music selections. Suddenly she feels a shift in the air and turns, smiling when she sees Damon.

"I have rarely seen two people that excited about fruit," he laughs, gesturing at her mother and boyfriend with a nod of his head.

"Tell me about it. I'm hiding, waiting for Dad and Jeremy to get back from their liquor run."

"Likely story," he arches an eyebrow.

"It's all I could come up with on the fly."

"You've always loved the jukebox."

"It's true... Picking up dinner for the family?" she asks, glancing at the pizza box in his hand.

"For me. I only live a few blocks from here."

"So when you said you weren't gonna leave the neighborhood, you meant it literally," she gives him a light bump with her shoulder.

"I leave... um sometimes. And I like this neighborhood. It was good enough for us to grow up in."

"Dad said that you have the biggest contracting company in the city."

"We're doing okay. I have 30 full time employees, twice as many when we're busy. Why? You looking for work?"

"You know what? I'm actually really handy with a screwdriver."

"Yeah?" he asks with interest.

"What does a screwdriver do?" her eyes twinkle.

"Ohh burn! I was hopeful for a sec..."

"Mmm."

"Actually, we do a lot of decorating for the holidays. You would be stunned at how much people spend on a little professional Christmas cheer."

"Oh, I live with Mason. I got over the shock of what people spend a long time ago."

"Well, you'll get to see some of my work at the club tonight," Damon tells her, pride in his voice.

"Yeah?"

"I would love your opinion. If I can pass the Elena "Miss Christmas" Gilbert test, I'll know I've made it to the big leagues."

"Mmm. What'd I miss so far?" Mason appears.

"Ah, we were just discussing Elena's skills with a screwdriver."

"The only tool that Elena is familiar with is me."

"Little hard on yourself there," Damon zings.

"Tell me you weren't already thinking it..."

"Can't do that." Damon adds, not liking this jerk one bit.

"Damon was just telling me about his business."

"Construction, right? You build houses and stuff?"

"Actually I was just telling Elena that big chunk of our work right now is decorating for the holidays."

"Quite the picture, huh? Bunch of big, burly construction guys hanging tinsel for the holidays. It's cute," Mason remarks condescendingly.

"Big, burly construction guys like Christmas just as much as the next guy," Damon defends himself but is cut off when Jeremy and Grayson appear.

"Hey, everyone! Sorry it took us so long, but we settled on the Maker's Mark," Mr. Gilbert holds the bottle up.

"The cheap stuff," Jeremy rolls his eyes at Elena.

"Well, I didn't hear you offer to pay for it." he looks at his son with an arched eyebrow.

"Nope, you sure didn't." Jer admits.

"Okay, finally," Miranda appears, "Let's get the groceries home."

Elena touches Damon's forearm to get his attention. "So we'll find you at the club in a couple hours?"

"Just follow the tinsel," he meets her eyes, nods and walks out of the store. Elena keeps her eyes on him till she can no longer see him.

* * *

"The little black dress was invented for women like you," Mason stares at Elena from behind as she looks at herself in the mirror.

"I wish."

"I know what I'm talking about," he closes the distance and embraces her.

"I've missed this so much."

"What, since yesterday?" he looks at her a little strangely.

"You know what I mean," she smiles and steps back slightly.

"Damn, I guess I'm that good. You know, it's really a shame that you look this beautiful tonight. It's gonna be really rough on Damon."

"What are you talking about? Damon won't care what I'm wearing."

"Clearly the guy has a thing for you."

"You think everyone with an XY chromosome has a thing for me."

"Am I wrong? Not that I blame them, but don't tell me that you haven't seen the way he looks at you with those pathetic little puppy-dog eyes."

"That's so mean and you're wrong."

"I'm off base then?"

"Way, way off. Growing up across the street from each other, our parents are best friends, he's family."

"If you say so," he shakes his head.

"Seriously? I doubt he even thinks of me as a girl."

"I think that dress will do the trick."

"Do you want me to change into something that covers me from head to toe?" I think I have an old granny nightgown here somewhere."

"Deflecting with humor, should I feel jealous?"

"Suddenly I'm in charge of your feelings?" Elena asks incredulously.

"I was just asking you a question. If I weren't in the picture, would you be interested in the, uh, local handyman?"

"Why are we even talking about this?"

"Why are you dodging?"

"The answer is no. I am here with you, where I have dreamed about being for the last... for a very long time. If anything was going to happen between me and Damon it would've happened a long time ago, so seriously, you need to let this go."

"We all have options. That's all I'm saying, okay? I... I could have patched things back up with Vicky..."

"Vicky, your old girlfriend?" Elena rounds on him.

"She dropped her rebound guy a month after you and I got together. I could have looked her up, I could have called her, but I didn't want to be rude."

"Rude? So good manners is what kept you from dumping me and running back to her?" she snaps, her temper rising.

"You know that's not what I meant," he tries to placate Elena.

"Is Vicky still on the market? You should call her up, wish her a merry fricking Christmas for all I care. I'm gonna walk away before I say something I regret," Elena walks out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

A little while later, Elena looks through the curtain. Mason is outside on the phone, his hands gesticulating wildly, he's obviously fuming. Well so is she...

"I gather you two had words," her father's voice comes from behind.

"He's jealous of Damon."

"Damon? Talented, successful, nicest guy you could meet, even has a little swagger. Heck, I'm even jealous of him..."

"No, this was a side of Mason that I've never seen before, _not even from before," _she mumbles the last part under her breath.

"Most guys have a tiny bit of a jealous streak," he pinches his thumb and forefinger together.

"This is ridiculous, Damon and I have never been romantic."

"Sweetheart, jealousy is not unheard of in a relationship..."

"I'm well aware but why Damon?"

"Because you and Damon have a history."

"Dad, we've dated for five years," Elena scoffs at the inanity of it all.

"I know, Elena, but I've always had the feeling that Mason is a little insecure in your world, and maybe this is a part of that?"

'It's hard to imagine him feeling insecure about anything."

"He's only human, sweetheart. Now come on, help me sneak some of mom's chocolates," Grayson winks at her.

"You don't understand, Mason and I never had _this _fight."

"Honey, just because he hasn't said it out loud doesn't mean he hasn't been thinking of it. Talk to him."

"I'm scared to even mention Damon's name..."

"Did you notice that Mason's out there having some kind of an epic meltdown on the phone?" Jeremy appears with a shit eating grin on his face.

"So not the time Jer," Elena sighs.

"He's really got his undies in a bunch. Oh, wait. Bet he wears a thong," Jeremy pops a piece of Christmas candy in his mouth.

"You're one to judge, Mr. Armani suit."

"Elena, I wear nice suits to work and that's the extent of it."

"You know what? I think I finally understand why you and Mason don't like each other. You're too much alike.

Jeremy screws up his face. "If I ever turn into that guy, somebody smack me until your hand gets tired, then switch and keep on smacking."

"Are we finally all ready to go?" Miranda appears.

"We've been ready for a while now."

"You just hold your horses. When you're young, you could just wash your face and throw some clothes on. At my age, it takes a little more time to look this good," Miranda explains with a raised chin.

"You look great, Mom," Jeremy cozies up to her.

"Thank you, honey, but I didn't get you the vintage Mustang this year again..."

"What? That's it. I'm running away from home."

"I saw Mason on the patio," Miranda points outside, "What's with him?"

"He got in a fight with Elena, and now he's crying on the phone to his mommy," Jeremy exhales dramatically.

"Elena Gilbert, what did you do?"

"What did I do?" Elena asks incredulously.

"Well, I know how you get, and he's very sweet."

Jeremy looks at her like she's grown a second head. "Mom, have you actually met Elena's boyfriend? I'll introduce you when he's done snivel..."

"Just finishing up some business. Don't we have a party to get to?" Mason steps through the sliding glass door.

* * *

The ride to the club is quiet. The mood at the place is upbeat and cheerful. While they're checking their coat in, Jeremy points to the bar, "How about I buy the first round?"

"Lead the way," Grayson urges Miranda forward with his hand on her lower back.

Mason pulls Elena back. "We need to talk."

"I'm not going to talk about it here, we'll talk later."

"Fine, just promise me that I'm not gonna have to hang out with your buddy Damon all night."

"Well, that might be tough. My family always sits with his."

"Wonderful," he stalks off to join Grayson and Jeremy, "I'm gonna go get a drink."

Elena's fuming inside as she watches him take a seat beside her dad and Jeremy.

"Hi. I'm Anna, I'll be your bartender."

"I'm Jeremy, your designated drinker."

She laughs, "good one."

"Yeah? Well thanks, my mom doesn't think I'm funny, imagine that?"

"Actually, I was just being polite. I get that designated drinker line about three times a shift."

"Soooo," Jeremy starts, "You want to just get out of here?"

"When I can steal a few seconds, sure," she winks at him.

"I'll have a lemondrop martini, please," Mason plops down on a seat next to Jeremy.

"Not here, you won't," Jeremy scoffs.

"Okay. Uh, how 'bout something local then, shot and a beer."

"Sure," Anna replies and starts to fill the drink orders.

"Wes, it's so nice of you to climb off your high horse to join us simple folk down here," Jeremy takes a long gulp from his beer mug.

"Tell me something, Jer, what is it that is about me that bugs you so much?"

"I could make a list if that's what you want but I'll start out with, you're an asshole," Jeremy states matter-of-factly.

"Shut the fuck up," Mason forces a smile when Anna hands him his shot, throws it back then orders another one.

* * *

Seeing Elena standing alone, Damon approaches, handing her a glass of punch. "I see Mason is finally bonding with the Gilbert men."

"You don't hate him, do you?"

"I don't hate anyone, Elena, I don't want to be his friend though."

"That's not what I meant."

"Or hang out with him or really talk to him - ever again," Damon finishes.

"What about you? Last time I talked to my parents, they said you were dating a legal secretary."

"We broke up around Halloween."

"Surely there are some eligible girls around?"

"I'm actually hiding from my parents, who are desperate to introduce me to Liv, the local veterinarian."

"Ooh, family fix-ups," Elena takes a swallow of her punch.

"I'm sure Liv's fine, but I'm at the point where I want there to be the possibility of it going somewhere, and I want it to be undeniable on both sides."

"Yeah, but even still, how can you be sure?"

"I don't know, but suddenly I don't want to waste any more time. I know that seems weird to someone like you."

"Don't be so sure," Elena's eyes drift to Mason.

"I'm rehabbing this house at the edge of the old neighborhood, big backyard and a basketball hoop in the driveway, and it just hit me. I'm ready for the person who's ready for that."

"That sounds really nice, Damon," she starts when Jeremy approaches.

"God Elena, where do you find these guys? Mason just ordered a lemon drop martini. "

"Have you ever had one?" Elena retorts.

"I'm sorry. I'm still reeling from someone who's more pretentious about alcohol than myself."

"It's good to see you, Jer," Damon extends his hand to shake it.

"Good to see you too, buddy," his voice trails off when Mason appears and pulls Elena onto the dance floor.

"I didn't mean to ruin your night. I know how much you love Christmas Eve."

"I don't care that it's Christmas Eve. I just don't like it when we fight."

"Everybody fights sometimes, Elena."

"You know, in 26 years, I've never seen my parents fight... not once."

"Oh come on, they fight, all right, They just do it when you're not around. I'm sorry that I overreacted."

"There's nothing between me and Damon. You're my present and, I hope, my future."

"I don't know what it is about that guy... I see the two of you together, and it just bugs me. And I know I shouldn't feel insecure or threatened by the bricklayer who wants 3.2 kids and a tacky above ground pool in his backyard."

"He's not a bricklayer. I know he's not that tall but he'd prefer a basketball hoop to a pool," Elena laughs and takes a swallow of her drink.

"I know you're not interested in changing diapers and baking brownies for the PTA meetings..."

"What does that mean?"

"I just... That's what those women are all about. You know, they revolve around school lunches, carpooling and driving the snot-nosed kids to and from field trips."

"Wait. You don't want... You don't like kids?" she steps out of his embrace.

"I didn't say that. I... I don't dislike kids. I just, uh... I like my antique Persian rug, okay? I don't want to see it destroyed by sticky little fingers?"

"I thought we agreed that we would wait five years and then have kids?"

"That's not what we agreed on, we agreed that we would talk about a change if we were bored with our lifestyle."

"Really is that how it was? I thought that we would wait five years and then have kids, not just talk about it."

"Elena, I thought we were on the same page about this. You're not cut to be a mundane housewife."

"Not cut out?" she fumes.

"We have one life, do you really want to waste it by having kids? I mean, that's... that's not who we are. We want to be wandering downtown in Cozumel at 4 A.M. That's... who we are."

"That was an amazing vacation, but, Mason, at some point..."

"Look, let's talk about this later, all right? Let's... Your mom sent me out here to let you know that they're gonna be serving dinner, and I wanted to come out here and just... just tell you I'm not mad anymore. I mean, I know it's... it's been a rotten night so far, but I promise you there's a cute little present with your name on it in your very near future, and it's... it's gonna fix everything."

Not wanting to make anymore of a scene, she's about to follow when she catches a glimpse of a familiar face. "I just need a second."

"Sure," Mason nods and goes inside while Elena approaches Rebekah.

"You're one of the carolers?"

"A year of voice at the Curtis Institute. This gig came along and I couldn't refuse."

"But Rebekah, the Curtis Institute of Music in one of the best in the country."

"I know that but I like what I'm doing now," Rebekah starts directing the carolers with her hands.

"You did not come back in time lead the carolers in "Deck the Halls" at my parents' country club."

"I'm trying to convince them to turn me loose on "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," something with a beat..."

"Clearly I'm doing something wrong for you to show up here."

"I didn't show up 'cause you messed up. I'm just trying to help you stay on task here."

"Some task," Elena exhales in frustration.

"That's life, though. You smooth out one pothole and then there's the next one."

"You heard that, Mason doesn't want kids."

"Not everyone does. Preferring to sleep in weekends on thousand-thread-count sheets instead of coaching soccer doesn't make him a bad guy."

"I know he's not a bad guy."

"But if you want kids and he doesn't, that's a problem even non sticky little hands won't fix. You've been together five years and you're only now discussing having children?"

"I guess we just talked around it. I mean, I always knew I wanted kids. I just assumed that he did too."

"Right, 'cause we know all good relationships are based on assumptions, not communication."

"We talk... um, we've just been more concerned with business-class upgrades and skydiving, p-parasailing."

"Why did you suddenly bring up children?"

"I don't know. I guess just talking to Damon."

"Damon seems to be causing a lot of romance trouble for someone who you think of as a brother..."

"I thought this was about my overreaction to some stupid present."

"Think, Elena, would the chance to travel back in time and redo the past be wasted on something as simple as that?" Rebekah asks then disappears into the crowd.

* * *

Elena stares at the spot where Rebekah disappeared for a few moments before she goes inside. Mason waves at her to join them. Sighing she nods and moves to stand beside him.

"Tonight I have a very special gift for a very special woman," he kisses Elena's hair. "Want to guess what it is?"

"Framed photo of yourself? No, you'd never go for one that small."

"Jeremy," Miranda gives him the side eye before turning to her daughter, "Open it."

She picks up the box, undoes the ribbon, removes the paper and lifts off the lid. "They're boarding passes?" she tries not to show her disappointment.

"First-class, Vail."

"These say that we leave tomorrow- Christmas morning! Did you know about this?" she turns to her mom.

"Mason asked before he booked the flight, and... and I gave him our blessing. Honey, we always love having you with us, but we wouldn't want to hold you back from a fabulous trip like this."

"Mason, we agreed that since this was the first Christmas that my brother could make it back for in years, that we'd spend it with my family."

"Well, we have. Uh, I mean, and it's been fantastic. But this our annual Christmas getaway, just us," he draws out the words, "I know you all have a tradition where you exchange gifts the morning. And I also know you don't like surprises, so this gives you an opportunity to pack."

"Instead of spending Christmas Eve with my family or sleeping?"

"It's Vail. It's gonna be fun and I know you'll love it. Honestly I have no idea why we haven't seen the Rockies yet anyway?"

"I've always wanted to go there," Elena forces a smile but it doesn't reach her eyes.

Grayson notices and when Miranda pulls Mason away to have a drink, he links her arm with his.

"I tried to fit in a walk to Santa's Corner today, but our agenda was a little bit too busy. And since you're going to Vail tomorrow morning, we are not gonna have time to see the Christmas clock reset this year."

"It's silly it took me this long to outgrow that tradition anyway."

"Elena, it's not silly."

"No?" she leans her head against his shoulder.

"I loved that you always wanted to go there the day after Christmas to see the clock reset. You always said it made you feel good knowing that even though the holiday was over, it was only 364 days left until it came back around."

"I was such a dork as a kid," she sighs.

"But an adorable one at that."

"Ha ha."

"Oh come on, there's nothing wrong with keeping a little part of your childhood inside, and Damon's company is taking over the decorating this year, I thought you'd like to check it out."

"I'm sure it's gonna be amazing. I'm sorry I have to miss it."

"Are you sure about that? It seems to me that you're not all that interested in the whole holiday thing this year."

"Am I that obvious?"

"I'm your dad, we see these things."

"Mas and I, we're fine."

"I didn't ask how the two of you were..."

"I guess I'm just starting to see things differently."

"Not too differently, I hope, because Elena, you are made of the best stuff in the world," he leads her over to the buffet table.

"There's so much food."

"Yep, let's dig in," Grayson hands her a plate and extends his arm for her to go first.

* * *

When they finish eating, they retreat to the living room to watch a holiday movie but as soon as it's done, Mason sighs and turns to Miranda, "Is there anything else I can do to help before I turn in for the night?"

"No, I think Elena and I have everything handled, thank you though."

"I guess I'll go to bed then. It's gonna be an exciting day tomorrow. Night."

"Good night, Mason," Miranda watches him trot up the stairs. "I just think the world of him."

"I know you do, Mom."

"When I look at him, I just see this bright, shiny future for the two of you," Miranda muses.

"Mom, he doesn't want kids," Elena looks at her.

"That doesn't surprise me."

"You're not disappointed? I mean, Jeremy's not gonna stay in one place long enough to have a family. Aren't you worried you won't have any grandchildren?"

"Having kids isn't a piece of cake, as a matter of fact it's can be a real pain in the ass."

"Mom!" Elena exclaims, not believing what she just heard.

"Don't get me wrong. I mean, you guys weren't that much trouble," Miranda shudders at the memories.

"Gee thanks."

"It's just that there's a lot of diapers, vomit, poop and drudgery... It's frustrating and kind of boring... Mason doesn't tolerate boredom."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing, why did you even have us then?"

"I'm not going to go into that. You're here, it's not like I can travel back in time."

Elena's eyes snap to hers.

Miranda doesn't seem to notice and continues, "Some people are just made for a brighter, shinier life, you and your brother have always been driven."

"What, you thought I didn't want to have kids?"

"Well yes, when you were 18, you headed out of town for the big city and never looked back, and I was so proud of you and happy that you weren't gonna settle down with a local like Damon and have babies."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's wrong with Damon and having babies?"

"Nothing I suppose. He's a very nice guy, and he'll find a meek, sweet, little girl, but that's not you."

"Mom?"

"I... I mean, that's why when he came to me during your senior year and he asked me if I thought you'd go out with him, and I said no. I'm sorry."

"You did what?" Elena's incredulous.

"I said that you didn't think of him that way, he thanked me and asked me not to mention that we ever had that conversation."

"And you're mentioning it now because?"

"Because, Elena, it doesn't matter anymore. You've got Mason, you're happy and successful and besides, you didn't think of Damon that way anyway." she puts a plate in the drain board.

"Maybe I would've if I had known that he thought of me like that?"

"And watch you derail all your plans?" Miranda looks at her aghast. "I know everyone says parents shouldn't meddle in things, but I couldn't help it."

"You should have told me."

"That's parenting, Elena. Those are the tough decisions we make because we think we know what's best for our kids."

"Don't you think I had a right to know how he felt about me?"

"Do you really think you would've been happy stuck in this town, the wife of a contractor?"

"I guess we'll never know will we?"

"But we do know, you're going to fly to Vail in the morning, Mason spent a lot of money on those tickets. I am not going to discuss this any further."

Frustrated Elena tosses the dishtowel aside, leaves the kitchen and walks outside.

"What's up?" Jeremy asks, taking a seat beside her on the patio.

"Mason, everything, and you heard mom and dad, they want me to go."

"I was listening. Mom said she gave Mason permission to bail early. Doesn't mean anyone's glad to see you go. And who's gonna do our tradition of taking shots of peppermint schnapps at midnight?"

"That's not a tradition," Elena chuckles.

"I was planning on making it one, but fine, deprive Mom of another holiday tradition to stress her out. And why don't you just admit that you don't want to go?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I want to go. It's Vail. Throwing clothes around the room. Slamming suitcases."

"My mistake," he raises his arms in surrender, "You seem overjoyed."

"Ssshh, Mason might hear."

"Trust me, the UCLA marching band could be playing in here, and he wouldn't be able to hear it through his solar-powered hot-mist humidifier and industrial-grade earplugs."

"Why do you make fun of him all the time?"

"Because I don't think he's right for you, I never have and well, I don't like him," Jeremy tells her matter-of-factly.

"What do you know? I see you, like, twice a year for a few days, and the other times, you're sending me weird-flavored potato chips and... some gelatinous thing that was not delicious, by the way."

"You weren't supposed to eat that," Jeremy grimaces.

"Why? What was it?"

"It is so good that you don't know. Also, thank you for not pointing out that my advice-giving credentials include me not dating anyone for an entire year. I really lowered the bar on what I consider a date. At this point, a pat-down from airport security counts. But I... I know a bad relationship when I see one. I've had enough of 'em."

"You don't like him, but everybody else thinks that we're pretty perfect together."

"You don't. I mean, sure, you and Mason like a lot of the same things, but when he looks at you, sometimes I wonder if... if he sees you or just another one of his things," Jeremy looks at her pointedly.

Elena meets his gaze, "You're not the only one in this room who's wondering. Traveling, I meet a lot of people like him. He's not a bad guy. He just..."

"Wants to spend his life drinking expensive wines at a never ending party, one that he just relocated to Vail."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, Elena but that's his whole life and there's not room for much else. He said it earlier. He would consider the life I have heaven. And, El, the life I have on the road traveling is... is shallow and lonely, because the people I love the most aren't in it," he lays his hand on hers and gives it a squeeze.

"I miss you, too, Jeremy."

"That's why it was so huge for me to come back this year. You know, earlier, when you and Mason had that argument, I was really hoping he'd do something idiotic like break up with you."

* * *

"That's not nice," Elena tries to the grin that's forming.

"I just... I want you to be free to experience the kind of love that means something. At least one of us should."

"What you need is a job that keeps you in one place for longer than six months."

"Can you keep a secret?" Jeremy asks, looking at her seriously.

"No but I'll keep this one."

"I just put my notice in at work."

"What?" Elena's mouth drops.

"In two weeks, I will officially be among the unemployed."

"Get out of here."

"Goofing around with those kids at the club, it was great and for the first time, I could clearly see the life I've been looking for... One that I'm never gonna get unless I jump off this endless train I've been on."

"Wow, Jeremy, that's huge. I'm so proud of you. What are you gonna do?"

"I haven't figured it out yet, but I will and... so will you."

She leans against her brother's shoulder for a little while before she excuses herself to go inside. Elena has a lot to think about.

* * *

A little while later, Elena goes into the kitchen for a bottle of water and catches a glimpse of Damon standing outside. A smile forms on her face, she grabs her jacket and goes outside, approaching him on the sly, startling him when she says, "ho, ho, ho. "

"Elena! You scared the hell out of me."

"I didn't know Santa scares so easily on Christmas Eve," Elena arches an eyebrow playfully.

"All that time at the North Pole messes with your brain," he laughs.

She smiles and looks over her shoulder at her parent's house.

"What's up? Is everything okay over there?"

" Yeah, I saw you were still up so here I am."

"If we stay here, my folks are gonna invite you in and make hot chocolate."

"Sounds nice."

"Nope, that hot chocolate comes with a side of guilt-trip. And they don't even spice it up with a little cinnamon schnapps to take the edge off. Do you want to get out of here?"

Elena nods excited and jumps into the pickup with Damon. "I was surprised to see you outside at 2 A.M.," she mentions.

"I always loved waking up super early on Christmas morning. You know, my parents worked so hard to bring Santa to me as a kid, so I just... I don't... I like to do the same to them as an adult."

"Bringing Christmas magic is your day job."

"You do know I'm not actually Santa, right? So, uh, what time does your plane leave tomorrow?"

"Actually, later today..."

"Let me be the first to officially wish you a Merry Christmas."

"Back at you."

"Elena, I didn't like seeing you so melancholy tonight, especially on what's always been your favorite night of the year."

"It's not melancholy, not really. It's... I don't know what it is."

"Would you like to see something that will put a smile on your face?"

"I'd like that."

Damon nods, backs the truck into the street and drives several blocks away before parking the vehicle again. "Follow me." They get to a building and he disappears around the back of it, returning a few moments later. You all set?"

"I'm on pins and needles."

Damon shakes his head, disappears again and within a few moments, the whole place lights up like the North Pole at Christmas.

"What do you think?"

"It's fantastic. It's like you were born to do this."

"What, born to decorate? Is that a compliment?"

"Most definitely. My dad was right. This is amazing. The local kids must've been so excited."

"It's one of the bonuses of the job, that and the wads of cash. So now that I have improved the lighting, how 'bout telling me why you came looking for me tonight?"

"I didn't come looking for you. I just... I saw you across the street bringing in the presents, and... "

"Elena, you didn't come across the street to talk to me in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve without a reason."

"Friends need reasons now?"

"We haven't really been friends for years. I mean, we're not even fake Facebook friends..." he looks at her pointedly. "While not everyone would need a reason, I would like one."

"I guess I wanted to see if it was true that you wanted to ask me out?"

"Your mom told you?"

"Not by choice, it just kind of slipped out."

"It's true, I had it pretty bad for you back then. Everybody saw it."

"Not me, Damon, I thought of you as a brother."

"Ouch. I mean, I appreciate you using past tense, but that doesn't make that any easier to hear," Damon sighs, and turns for a moment to look at the display of lights.

"Understandable."

"Is that what this is about, you coming to find me?"

"I don't know."

"Mason?"

"I don't know, Damon. I thought he was it, but after I broke up with him..."

"Wait. You broke up?"

"We broke up, like, a year ago. I thought that I made this huge mistake, that I threw away something great."

"So you took him back?"

"Went back actually," she replies cryptically.

"Right... So now you're the happy couple I saw tonight, which is why we're standing here at 2 A.M."

"Mom starts talking about senior year, and I start thinking about roads not taken. Don't you want to go back to a time when things were just simpler, you know, when we knew what was gonna happen next?"

"We didn't know what was gonna happen. We were just young and stupid enough to think we did."

"Damon?"

"Elena... I don't think the answer you're looking for has much to do with me."

"What?"

"I'd like to think that I'm more than just a distraction or some tool for you to figure out what you really want with."

"That's not harsh," she looks away.

"Tell me it's not true."

"Am I the only one feeling the connection here, Damon?"

"We're not gonna figure it out while you're still so unsure about everything and definitely not while you're living with a guy that you're not even sure you like."

Elena's eyes start to moisten but she somehow manages to stop them from falling. "No, you're right. I guess whatever I thought we had was just in my head."

"That's... that's not what I meant," Damon looks into her eyes and she almost falls into the depths of those blue seas.

"You know what? I should get some sleep."

"Elena, I didn't mean to sound harsh."

"No, Damon, it sounded real. You should go on that family fix-up, that girl you mentioned."

"How did she come into this?" Damon moves in front of her.

"Good night." she starts to walk away.

"Elena, wait, I have to turn this off."

"I'll be fine, Damon," she calls behind her and disappears around the corner before taking off in a run.

* * *

As soon as Elena reaches her yard, she steps into the shadows. "Rebekah, where are you, I need you?" She waits for several minutes, even taking the time to walk around the house.

"Some help you are," she mumbles in frustration before reluctantly going inside, trudging up the stairs and crawling into bed...

* * *

Elena's tossing her clothes in a suitcase when she stops to look outside. The first person she sees is Damon embracing his parents before disappearing into their house. Sighing, she drops her eyes to her own yard where she sees Mason talking with someone on his cellphone.

Unconsciously her hands fist at her sides and with a determination building, she leaves her room to have a word with him.

"Good morning," Mason greets her, pocketing his phone before kissing her cheek. "Just think, this time tomorrow, we'll be on the slopes... Now that's how Christmas should be."

"So what's this been then?" she looks at him.

"The obligatory family visit. You gotta keep the family happy but I scored us a get out of jail free card," he winks at her.

"I wanted to be here, Mason, not out of a sense of obligation but because I love my family and I don't get to see them nearly enough."

"Isn't that what we did? So let's go get through breakfast, collect our things and get out of here."

"You're not hearing me, Wes, I don't want to go with you."

"Of course you do. We're practically the same person, basically share the same brain. We like to travel. That's what we do."

"I've been waiting months to be in one place with my whole family, and if you can't see that, then we're definitely not the same person, not even close."

"Is this about our fight last night? Because I said I was sorry."

"No," she shakes her head, "you said you weren't mad anymore," she stares at him. "There's a difference?"

"What's really going on here, Elena?"

"I thought you were gonna propose," she admits.

"What?" he looks at her incredulously.

"Last night at the club, the little box, the one that was supposed to fix everything, I thought it was gonna be an engagement ring, not a plane ticket out of here."

"I had no idea."

"I know you didn't and that's the problem. Don't say you're sorry, because I'm not looking for an apology. I'm just... I'm trying to give you a sense of where we are here."

"No, let me get a sense of something here. You and marriage? Come on, Elena, that's not us."

"Just so we're clear, first, you tell me you don't want to have children, and now you don't believe in marriage?"

"It's been around since the dawn of mankind, so yeah, I know it exists. Neanderthals were probably just as nuts as modern men."

"My point is, is that you don't want to get married."

"I don't need a worthless piece of paper dictating the rules of our relationship."

"It's a commitment... a promise of love."

"The happily-ever-after scam is a bill of goods sold to us by society, surely you can see that?"

"Stop, just stop coming up with these lame, pseudointellectual reasons for everything. Just be honest. You do not want to get married. You do not want children."

"I don't see a need for it, but if it's something that is important to you, I'd be willing to consider it. I mean, I guess I could see us with a couple of kids maybe backpacking through the Swiss Alps?"

"Do you even hear yourself? I don't want you to be willing to have a kid with me, you have to want it. And you can't just drag a toddler all the way around the world."

Mason sighs and turns away for a few seconds. "This isn't gonna work, is it? This, meaning us? You're breaking up with me?"

"I guess I am," Elena locks eyes with him.

"This is rich. I was considering doing the same thing, but I didn't. No, I got us tickets to Vail as a last-ditch effort to save this relationship."

"What was so broken about it that you couldn't talk to me?"

"Talk to you? When was I supposed to talk to you? All you ever do is work," he spits out.

" Yes, I've been working more hours, but I'm not always there, I can't just walk out the door in the middle of the afternoon when the New York market closes like you do."

"Work to live, not live to work... I thought we agreed on that."

"No, I just didn't disagree. I happen to love my job."

" You love your job so much that you choose that and this... this love, marriage and the baby carriage notion of me."

"That's the thing, Mason, I shouldn't have to choose. We should support each other's wants and needs. Do you even love me?"

"Elena, come on?" he turns away.

"There's a sexy, confidence-inspiring reaction every girl wants to see," she retorts with sarcasm.

"Just stop. I'm gonna go inside, get my things, and go to the airport. You can come with me if you'd like... If not, I guess this relationship is irretrievably broken."

"Finally we agree on something."

"You're just gonna throw it all away, is that it? All the great times we've had and for what, a little holiday tinsel?"

"You really don't get me, do you?" Elena realizes how foolish she was to have been lamenting their break up for a whole year.

"I'm gonna go finish packing," he gives her one last look before going inside.

* * *

Elena turns her back to the sliding glass door and takes a breath, the gravity of what she did, breaking up with Mason a second time is something she wasn't prepared for.

"Elena, I just saw Mason go upstairs. Are you going to come in for break..." the words die on her lips when they hear a rapping sound.

"Who on earth drops by on Christmas morning?"

"I'll go see who it is," Elena smiles then walks around the side of the house. Her mouth forms a tight line when she sees who it is. Grabbing her arm, she pulls Rebekah to the side of the house, "Where were you last night?"

"It was Christmas Eve. I have family too and besides, I'm here now."

"I needed you last night," Elena frowns.

"No, you wanted my help, but you didn't need it," Rebekah points out, her eyes meeting Elena's.

"You sound like Mason," Elena utters in frustration.

"Lord, I hope not. So you've got an ex-boyfriend that I need to take off your hands, and I'm just the one to do it."

"My mother's gonna freak."

Look, it's gonna be okay. The hard part's over."

"I thought you brought me back to this moment to undo a huge mistake and all I did was repeat it."

"What if breaking up with Mason wasn't the thing you came back here to fix?" Rebekah looks at her pointedly.

"I thought about Damon but he's not interested."

"That's not what he said," Rebekah looks at her pointedly.

"I wanted him to fight for me, not tell me that nothing is gonna happen."

"He as much as told you that he has feelings for you."

"Well what if I don't care how this turns out? What if all I want is to see where life will take me?"

"Okay, it's your life to live," Rebekah gives her a nod and then walks away...

Elena watches till she's no longer visible then goes inside to face her mother.

"What's going on, Elena?"

"Actually, I think you already know."

"If you want my two cents, I think you and Mason just need to turn down the volume here, have breakfast. Whatever's wrong, you can talk it out."

"There's nothing wrong, Mom. He and I want different things out of life."

"No, you don't! You want adventure and romance!"

"Honey, did you say something about turning down the volume?" Grayson appears with a piece of bacon in his fingers. And just as suddenly, Damon is behind him.

"Damon?"

"Elena, don't go to Vail," he hands her a single red rose, brushing his fingers against hers when she takes it. "I blew it last night - badly and I want to answer your question again."

"Damon, this is not the time for a drop-in," Miranda scowls at him.

"Trust me, this is exactly the right time."

"Right, and exactly the right time for us to butt out," Grayson nods at his wife to give Damon and Elena some privacy.

When they're alone, Damon moves to stand in front of Elena, "You asked me last night how I felt about you, and, I mean, I wanted to explain so perfectly after all these years."

"You did."

"No, I didn't, because you ran off, and were convinced that I didn't have feelings for you. Elena, I did then, and I do now, and it's definitely not like a brother. I mean, I'm over there, right, and I'm driving myself nuts. And then it hits me. This is about us. I could care less about stepping between you and Mason."

"Mason and I are no more..."

"Elena," he brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, "You deserve a guy who knows that the only place you want to be on Christmas is with your family."

"Why didn't my mom just tell me you had feelings for me in high school?"

"It wouldn't have mattered. I mean, back then, you probably would've thought my life was kind of boring. I was a stupid teenager."

"Well, you're not a teenager now. What do you want, Damon?"

"I want to get to know you all over again."

"Me too."

His smile is lights up his whole face. "I'm glad I threw caution to the wind and came over here."

Not wanting to let the moment pass, Damon closes the distance between them. He leans down, brushing kisses against her jaw, her cheek, the tip of her nose and the tops of her eyelids then cups her face, holding her still so he can press his mouth firmly against hers. He slips his tongue across the seam of her lips - moans, then searches deeper, and pulls her even closer...

_His hands are possessive and hungry, and all she can do is feel how much she wants him. She drops her mouth to his shoulder, brushing a kiss there, before letting herself taste his flesh, loving the way he says her name so roughly. She strokes his upper body with her hands, before flicking her tongue over one of his nipples and and is rewarded with his quick intake of breath._

_She isn't even aware that Damon has been moving them towards the bed until she feels the mattress behind her knees and falls backwards with Damon following her. He kisses her deep and hard on the mouth before he licks and nips his way down her body. Elena trembles, when he licks around her navel, and can't help the small moan that escapes as his mouth moves lower and lower still, until he's between her legs giving her a far more intimate kiss. She tries not to twist and buck, as his tongue works her up to a climax. She looks down, finding him staring back at her as he does exquisite things with his tongue. She comes hard and when he crawls up her body, he's wearing a look of pure satisfaction._

_She reaches out to grab him, relieved that somewhere along the way, he's shed his shorts. Wrapping her hand around him, she strokes her palm up and down the length of him. He quickly puts a stop to it though, laying his hand on top of hers._

_"You have no idea what you're doing to me."_

_He gives her a hot lingering kiss before positioning himself between her legs, and Elena wraps hers around his hips, and waits for him to enter her. No matter how much she has dreamed about this moment, nothing could have prepared her for the swift flood of emotion that lodges itself in her throat as he thrusts into her powerfully, joining them completely. _

_The emotion of finally having him inside of her - of everything she feels for him - combines with the physical pleasure he's giving her - makes her eyes fall closed. She wants to shut out some of the intensity but with the way he's moving inside of her makes her feel everything so acutely; both in her heart and body. With the tension mounting, her muscles begin to squeeze around him and then - they come together as he drives into her one last time and cries out her name. _

Elena's so lost in the feel of him that she doesn't realize what's happening till she finds herself alone in her bed. "No," she yells aloud, ghosting her lips with her fingertips where she can still feel Damon's mouth pressing against them.

Flying out of bed, she quickly dresses and hurries out of the house in search of Rebekah. She runs almost all the way to the little diner where she first saw encountered the cryptic blonde.

She barges into the restaurant, sighing in relief when she sees her and slides into the opposite side of her booth.

"Good morning, Rebekah greets her, sticking a bite of bread into her mouth.

"You said I could change things, you promised," Elena accuses, looking distraught.

"No, I didn't. I said sometimes people get second chances."

"I went back last night and did everything differently."

"And you broke up with Mason a second time," Rebekah adds.

"I know I did but you said that maybe my mistake was not noticing Damon."

"It's your life, Elena..."

"I chose the one who really knows me and wants the same things, what went wrong?"

"Maybe nothing. Maybe all of those things are still true," Rebekah locks eyes with hers.

"But they're not, I woke up alone. He's probably with Liv by now."

"You mean the one he wasn't interested in?"

"Yeah, the one I told him to date. I even screwed that up...," Elena crosses her arms on the table and drops her forehead to rest against them. Then suddenly and inexplicably, she feels a funny sensation as if she's caught in a whirlwind and when she raises her head, she's shocked to find herself back in her pajamas, on the couch in her Vegas home. And when she looks up, her mouth nearly hits the floor when she sees _him._

"Damon?"

"Good morning, Elena," he bends to kiss the crown of her head.

"Where were you?" she looks over his shoulders as if expecting the other girl to appear.

"I ran out to get you a Christmas latte," he smiles and hands it to her.

"That was really thoughtful of you," she can't quite fathom that he's really there.

"I know what you're like before you get your coffee. You need to get dressed, he have to hustle if we're going to make the drive and get there in time to help wrap presents at the club."

"Right... It's been a weird morning," Elena takes a swallow, still in a fog about what's happening.

"How about you tell me about it on the way to your parents' place?" Damon happens to notice her hand and shakes his head back and forth. "And, you know I hate when you take your ring off, everyone hits on you," he takes her left hand in his. "I saw this sitting by the sink on my way out, so I thought I'd take it for safekeeping," he winks and slides it on _that_ finger. "I'll never get tired of doing that."

Elena stands up then gently leans in and kisses Damon's warm lips.

He pulls her in tighter against him, "You have no idea how happy I am."

Elena sighs and holds him tighter, too. "I think I might."

"You need to get ready so we can get on the road," he kisses the top of her head.

"Present wrapping day."

"Don't you want to go?" he asks, pulling back enough to look down at her face. The lights on the Christmas tree behind them form gold glints in her dark eyes. Although he'd like nothing more than to slip his clothes off and take her back to bed, he knows how much they both love the traditions they grew up with.

"I'll get ready... but I kind of like what I'm looking at right now," Elena's happiness is infectious. It starts as a tingle in her fingers and toes, it's comfy and washes through her like a warm ocean wave.

Damon grins before ducking his head to kiss her gently. "As long as you're satisfied?"

Elena lays a hand on his cheek. "Very satisfied."

Damon looks at her beautiful face lit up with love for him, no doubt mirroring what's staring back at her, "I am too, Elena. I am, too."

And then he's kissing her. Her hands wind their way up to his hair and she holds on tightly, pressing herself to him as strongly as he is to her. Little sounds are escaping from his mouth as they are from hers.

When they separate her lips feel swollen. "Wow..."

He chuckles lightly. "Yeah, I know..."

She stands there, her hands still hovering over his hair, his hands still loosely around her waist. They're so close, just staring at each other, watching each other. "I love you," he tells her simply. His whisper is soft and full of emotion.

"I love you too," she echoes his words. Damon smiles as his eyes fall to her lips. They lean in for another kiss, this one softer.

"Let's get you dressed, we have to go," he starts walking her backwards towards their bedroom.

"Don't run me over," she says against his lips.

Damon laughs in between kisses, and with a raise of his knee, kicks the door closed behind them.

The End

* * *

_This year has been Delena-ized versions of old movies. I have changed a lot of the dialogue and added parts - so DE are unique in their own right. C__redit the screenwriters_ -all rights belong to them - for the story idea.

_*__The Philadelphia Experiment story is one of time travel, teleportation and deep-rooted conspiracy. Officially, it's a footnote in U.S. history, with the true story of events obscured by rumors spanning over the decades. __As the story goes, during the deep days of World War II a US Navy Destroyer - The USS Eldridge - allegedly vanished from the waters outside of Philadelphia, only to reappear instantaneously hundreds of miles away.  
_

_Thank you Eva. Wouldn't be here without you. _

_Thank you so very much, you're the best! We hope you all have a **Merry Christmas **and those of you who don't celebrate, have a truly wonderful day and week ahead. _

_We'll see you again next week with the final episode - 'Silver Bells' - of DEHolidays2019. _


End file.
